


Outer Space

by princessmikey



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: M/M, and basically theres a lot of flashbacks, and left luke behind, and now he's back, based off outer space, michael ran away from london, muke au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 17:30:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6714193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessmikey/pseuds/princessmikey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It’s so beautiful.” Luke hummed, his body relaxing against Michael.</p><p>Michael smiled at Luke, thinking that Luke was more beautiful than the rain, but he wouldn’t say that out loud. Luke would probably laugh, and then tease him for being cheesy, so Michael kept it in his brain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Outer Space

Michael walked through the sea of people crowded in the streets. Rain was falling from the thick grey clouds, and he was trying to find shelter under the umbrellas of passing strangers.

 

Michael had always been a fan of the rain. He liked the way it hit his skin, and kept him here on earth. He liked the clean scent, and the way it made the sky grey. He liked the little worms that appeared after the fall, the way they happily bathed in the puddles.

 

It didn’t rain very often in Australia, so it made it more of a treat to Michael when he was in London. It was different, and it was beautiful.

 

Michael could barely remember the last time he saw rain. He figured it must have been at least a year.

 

_“Luke wake up.” Michael whispered, shaking his boyfriends shoulder._

_“What?” Luke grumbled, not even bothering to open his eyes._

_“It’s raining.” Michael replied happily, nudging Luke again._

_Luke’s eyes opened quickly, and he sat up, and wrapped himself in the blanket._

_“It is?” Luke asked._

_Michael nodded, and pointed to the window he had just opened._

_Luke’s face lit up, as he watched the raindrops race down the surface._

_Rain was still a rarity to the couple. They had grown up in Australia, and they were new to London. Rain was something for them to experience, something to celebrate._

_“We should go dance in it.” Michael said._

_Luke nodded quickly, throwing the blanket off himself, and slipping on jeans and a hoodie. The two boys hurried out of their flat, running through the halls like little kids. They ran all the way to the front door where they stood, and watched the rain puddle into little oceans._

_“It’s so beautiful.” Luke hummed, his body relaxing against Michael._

_Michael smiled at Luke, thinking that Luke was more beautiful than the rain, but he wouldn’t say that out loud. Luke would probably laugh, and then tease him for being cheesy, so Michael kept it in his brain._

_Michael pulled Luke out of the dry room, and into the falling rain. He pulled him to a spot where the rain hit their face, and fell down their cheek. A place where their clothing would absorb the water, and cling to their skin. A place where both looked to the dark sky, their mouth open wide, catching the drops, and swallowing them._

_Michael looked away from the clouds, and over to Luke. He saw his hair becoming soaked, and sticking to his forehead, and his eyes closed to keep out the water. He could tell Luke was happy, he could see it in the way he stood, and took in the small storm._

_Michael took Luke’s hand, and pulled him into his own body. He wrapped his arm around the small of his back, and led him in a dance._

_Luke smiled up at Michael, and then rested his head against his broad chest. He could feel the beating of Michael’s heart, telling him they were both alive, that this wasn’t a dream._

_The two spent about an hour in the rain, most of the time just slow dancing to the music in their head, but sometimes they would stop. Sometimes they would break away, and connect their lips. Michael’s hands would cup Luke’s cheeks, and Luke would cling to Michael’s cold body, and they would become one._

Michael loved thinking about this memory. He liked thinking back to when Luke was happy, when he was happy.

 

Actually, Michael just liked thinking about Luke. He liked thinking about the way he tasted, the way he smelt, the way he made Michael laugh, and the way he comforted him when he was sad. Michael loved Luke, he still loves Luke, and he hopes that he didn’t ruin things to the point where they couldn’t be fixed.

 

Michael didn’t want to think about that now. He didn’t want to worry about what might happen. He wanted to live in the now, he wanted to feel the rain on his skin, and the energy of the people around him.

 

Michael kept walking until he got to the familiar coffee shop. He stopped outside the shop, looking at the busy people, coming in and out of the doors. He remembered when he used to be the one serving the people. He was the one who talked to each one as they ordered their drinks, and he made them what they requested.

 

Most days, Michael missed this job. He had some good friends here, and he missed them dearly when he left. Michael also missed standing out. All the customers thought his accent was beautiful, and it would earn him an extra tip here and there. Michael was different here.

 

Michael walked into the shop, the familiar scent of coffee beans flooding his senses. He loved this smell, it was soothing for him. He liked the way it coated his nose, and filled his lungs. He liked the way it sat in the fibers of his clothes, and stayed with him when he left.

 

Michael walked to the counter, seeing his best friend behind the register. He smile widely, and gave a small wave.

 

The brown boy lit up, his eyes scrunching closed, and his smile reaching his ears.

 

“Michael! What are you doing here?” He asked, reaching over the counter to give Michael a half hug.

 

“I’m thinking of moving back. Australia’s getting to be boring.” Michael replied, hugging Calum back.

 

“Well, if you do, there’s always a job for you here.” Calum replied.

 

“Thank you.” Michael smiled, taking note of the comment. He would love to have this job back.

 

“What can I get for you today?” Calum asked, looking down at the screen.

 

“Can I just have a medium black coffee?” Michael asked, digging through his wallet for the money.

 

“No need, it’s on me.” Calum said, pushing hand back towards the boy.

 

“Thank you.” Michael smiled, setting the change in the tip jar.

 

Calum turned, and made his coffee. Michael watched his fluid motions, remembering the way he used to be able to do the same. It was just an automatic response for him.

 

Calum came back to the counter, handing Michael his drink. Michael took it, letting the cup warm his chilled hands.

 

“I’ll see you around, Mike.”

 

“See you around.” Michael replied, stepping out of the way so that he could help the next customer.

 

Michael walked to an open table by the window. He sat down, and looked out into the street. Everyone seemed to be moving quickly, trying to get out of the rain as fast as they could. Michael watched a lot of the people come in the shop. He remembered when he worked here rainy days always seemed to be the busiest. People wanted a warm beverage after they were pelted with the cold water.

 

Michael looked back out the window, seeing the little Lush store across the street. He smiled at the sight, thinking back to the afternoons spent there.

 

_Michael walked through the large glass doors, feeling the heated air hit him in the face. He smiled as the familiar scents of bath bombs flood his nose. He always wondered how people could work here. He thought that the strong mixture of scents would give you a headache after a long shift._

_Michael walked through the store, looking for Luke. He missed him dearly while they were both at work. The blonde would take hold of his mind any moment Michael would have when he wouldn’t have to focus on coffee._

_It was weird to miss Luke when he had just saw him a few hours earlier, when they were walking to work. Michael thought it was weird to miss someone, and need someone, as much as he needed Luke._

_“Looking for Luke?” The girl behind the counter asked._

_Michael nodded, a smile on his face when he recognized the purple hair as Selena’s._

_“He’s in back. I’ll go get him.” She smiled, then disappeared through the door._

_Michael just stood and waited for her to return. While he waited, he looked at the new shampoo bars, and smelled them. He liked the scent of the lavender one. It was the kind Luke used, it was the scent that stayed in Luke’s hair, and Michael smelt every time they cuddled._

_“Mikey.” Luke greeted, a huge smile on his pink lips._

_“Luke.” Michael replied, opening his arms to hug the tall boy._

_Luke gladly walked into his arms, and wrapped his own around Michael’s waist. He rested his head against Michael’s shoulder, his breathe hitting Michael’s skin, causing a chill to run down his spine._

_“I missed you.” Luke whispered._

_“Missed you too, love.” Michael replied softly._

Michael missed the scent of Lush. He hadn’t been in one since he left. The thick scent was too painful for him to bear.

Michael avoided most things after he left. Everything seemed to remind him of Luke. Movies, music, video games, pizza, the beach, even most of his clothes reminded him of Luke.

 

_Michael walked through the beach, the sand burning his toes. He wanted to be home, but he promised his parents he would come with, he promised he would get out of the house._

_“Lighten up Michael, it’s a beautiful day.” His father said, his hand patting Michael’s back._

_Michael tried to smile, but it was so much more work than he remembered, so he gave up. He tried to just look like he was not miserable, he tried to maybe look like he was indifferent to the situation._

_Michael kept following his parents, walking until they got to the spot on the beach where they were meeting family. The group was perched in the sand, towels and food surrounding them. They were all laughing and sharing stories, large smiles on their lips. Michael wished he could be happy too, but he could only feel heartbroken when everything reminded him of Luke._

_The group spotted Michael and his parents, and they all moved towards them, like the waves to the shore. They took turns hugging each of the three, and saying their greetings. Michael tried to smile at each person, and seem excited to see them as well. Michael tried to seem happy and carefree, like his heart wasn’t shattering in his chest._

_The greetings seemed to die down after a while, and Michael was free to do what he wanted. A lot of his cousins wanted him to join them in the water, but his energy level was too low to participate. Instead, he sat on the shore, the sun beating down on his pale skin. He pretended to listen to one of his aunts’ drone on about her “crazy” life. He pretended he was as interested as the rest of the group, but really his mind was thinking about what Luke was doing back in London._

Michael took a sip of his drink, his heart swelling with too many emotions. Michael was excited, he was scared, he was happy, he was in love. Michael was every feeling in the world, and they were all making it impossible for him to think.

 

Michael wanted Luke to be here, he wanted Luke to pull him back to earth, and make the feelings stop. Michael wanted Luke to hug him, and kiss him, and cuddle him. Michael wanted Luke.

 

_It had been a year since Michael ran. He spent every one of those 365 days sitting, and regretting the decision. He spent every waking hour thinking about Luke, and most of his dreams were probably about the boy as well. Michael didn’t remember the dreams though, he only remembered the aching feeling he had when he awoke._

_Michael felt like he was going crazy as he sat in his room. The smell of lavender fabric softener was chocking him, and sending his mind into a hurricane of thoughts._

_Everything felt so big, and Michael felt so small. Michael felt the world holding him down, keeping him in the confines of his room._

_Michael felt his heart running, trying to escape his body, and find Luke. His heart was jumping out his chest, determined to leave Michael’s body, determined to get to London where it was truly happy._

_Michael could feel his heart, the escape making his mind panic. Michael sat under the sheets, body shaking as his insides had a war. Both were sick of the other, and they were reaching their breaking point, unsure of what to do._

_Michael’s mother came into the room, but Michael couldn’t do anything to hide the immense emotions consuming his body, consuming his mind._

_“Michael, are you okay?” His mother asked, walking quickly to the side of the bed, and caressing her sons tear soaked face in her hand._

_“No.” Michael managed to choke out, a new wave of tears breaking through the barrier of his eyes._

_His mother pulled him to her chest, letting his tears soak her shirt. She whispered soothing words to him, and ran her fingers through his hair, trying to get him to calm down a little._

_“What’s wrong baby?” His mother asked once Michael was able to breathe again._

_“I miss him.” Michael whispered tiredly. Normally, he wouldn’t admit this. Michael was the type to hold his feelings inside until they erupted, until he was ruining his mind in his bed, or when he was running from London._

_“Luke?” She asked, Michael nodded, small tears slipping from his almost empty eyes. “You should talk to him.”_

_“I can’t.” Michael whispered._

_“Why can’t you?” She asked calmly, her fingers still brushing through Michael’s currently faded, red hair._

_“I don’t know how to reach him. He changed his number.” Michael replied tiredly._

_“I’ll get his new number through Liz, and then you should call him, okay?”_

_“Okay.” Michael nodded, his mind calming a little bit. “Thank you.”_

_“It’ll be okay, Michael.” Karen soothed. “Until then, you should get some sleep.”_

_“Okay.” Michael nodded again, realizing his eyes were feeling heavy._

Michael spotted a tall boy in the crowd, seeing him trip over his feet and fall to the pavement.

 

Michael stood from his chair, forgetting his coffee at the table, and rushed out into the crowd. By the time he reached Luke, he was already off the ground, dusting the loose pebbles from his red hands.

 

“Are you okay?” Michael asked.

 

Luke was silent, his hands stopped brushing away the dirt, and his eyes staring through Michael. He looked like he wasn’t sure if he believed what he was seeing, and his blue eyes held doubt.

 

“Hi Luke.” Michael tried smiling, but it was weak. He couldn’t get himself to smile when he felt this broken, when Luke looked this broken.

 

“Michael?” Luke finally spoke, his voice coming out quiet, and unbelieving.

 

“Yeah.” Michael whispered back.

 

Luke lunged forward, his whole body wrapping around Michael, and his tears mixing with the water already soaked into Michael’s shirt. Michael hugged Luke back, his own tears beginning to fall from his eyes.

 

“I missed you so much.” Luke chocked, pulling away from Michael, and looking into his eyes. His hands reached for Michael’s face, brushing away the tears, and then his hands trailed over Michael’s skin, feeling every inch he had been so long without.

 

“I missed you too.” Michael replied, a small smile coming to his lips. He was so grateful for this reaction. He was terrified Luke would push him away, or that Luke had moved on, and they could never be together again.

 

“Why’d you leave?” Luke finally asked, his eyebrows threading in confusion.

 

“I couldn’t stay.” Michael replied. There was a reason for his leaving, but he wasn’t sure how to say it.

 

“Why?” Luke asked, withdrawing completely from Michael, seeming to fully see the situation.

 

“Can we talk about it inside?” Michael asked, his arms wrapping around his shaking body.

 

Luke nodded slowly, and then followed Michael inside. Michael walked back to the table, and Luke walked to the counter, where he greeted Calum, and ordered his drink.

 

Michael watched from the table, feeling like everything around him was fading. That it was just him and Luke, and it would always be just those two.

 

Luke walked back to the table, and sat across from Michael. He stared into Michael for a minute, his eyes becoming like the snow he used to love so much.

 

“I missed the rain.” Michael said, feeling a little uncomfortable under the intense stare.

 

“I’m sick of it.” Luke grumbled, looking out into the grey world.

 

“Nothing like the rain when you’re in outer space.” Michael remarked with a smirk. Including quotes like this into conversations was one of Luke’s pet peeves. As an English major, Luke encountered a lot of pretentious people who spoke in only metaphors, and it would get under Luke’s skin.

 

“What does that even mean?” Luke sighed, happiness warming his icy stare.

 

“Nothing like the familiarity of the rain when you’re so far from home.” Michael replied. He knew it didn’t totally fit the situation because rain was pretty rare for Australia, but to him, it made sense.

 

“Whatever Shakespeare.” Luke giggled, taking a drink from his coffee.

 

Michael smiled at Luke. He liked the way he sounded when he laughed, it was so soft and sweet. It was Michael’s favorite sound in the world, and he had been afraid he would never hear it again.

 

“Are you going to tell me why you left?” Luke asked, trying to create a poker face. He had always been bad at hiding his feeling though, and Michael could tell he was curious and hurt.

 

Michael was quiet for a while. He had to reply perfectly, he couldn’t hurt Luke more than he already had. Michael needed to be able to put everything he was feeling into words, and then he had to state it in a manner Luke would understand.

 

“I was feeling bad.” Michael started, feeling like he was already off to a bad start. “Like mentally, like how I was the first few years of high school.” Michael continued, his heart speeding up, and his mouth going dry.

 

“I didn’t like myself very much, and I didn’t like life every much. I tried to hide it and be better, but that didn’t work so well.” Michael continued, hating the memories of the previous year. “I thought I was bringing you down with me, or that if I wasn’t now, I would be soon, so I left.”

 

“And you couldn’t have told me? I was so worried when I woke up and you were gone. I had to hear through my mom that you were home. Who does that Michael?” Luke asked, a small tear escaping his eye.

 

“I’m sorry, Luke. I should have told you, I should have left a note, but I wasn’t planning on leaving. I was planning to go for a walk, or a drive, and then I ended up at the airport, and I got this need to be home, and the next thing I knew, I was on a flight to Australia.” Michael replied, realizing how crazy he seemed.

 

“How do I know you won’t leave this time?” Luke asked.

 

“I’m on meds now, Luke. I’m getting help.” Michael replied, unsure of how else he could prove it. “I went a whole year without seeing you, and I don’t think I can go a day more.”

 

Luke thought about this response for a while, his eyes staring at the steam rising from the cup in his hands.

 

Michael reached out his hand, trying to hold Luke’s in his own. He needed to know he was actually there, that this was more than just a dream.

 

Luke hesitantly took his hand, but he still refused to look him in the eye.

 

“It’s okay if you need time. I will wait for you for as long as you need.” Michael said softly, knowing he could never love someone as much as he loved Luke. Knowing Luke was worth waiting for.

 

Luke looked up from his drink, his blurry eyes looking into Michael. His hand going to caress Michael’s cheek, and wipe away the remaining tears.

 

“If you promise to never leave, then I think we can give this another try.” Luke whispered.

 

“I promise I will never leave you again. I will be by your side as long as I live, whether you want me or not.” Michael smiled, taking Luke’s hand away from his face, and rubbing it in his hands.

 

“I love you.” Luke grinned.

 

“I love you too, now and forever.” Michael smiled back, reaching over the table to leave a little kiss on Luke’s lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Comment what you think! I love reading feedback.
> 
> tumblr: princessmikey


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